Valve mechanism.



J. G. BUCHANAN.

VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1914.

Patented June 1, 1915.

m vw .1 Max 1 WITNESSES Warren srAras rArnnr orrron JAMES GRANT BUCHANAN, F CANANEA, MEXICO, ASSIGNOR TO HIRAM A. HATFIELD,

' 0]? FOREST GROVE, OREGON.

VALVE MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES G. BUCHANAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in 7 Valve mechanisms to be used on railroad cars, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my inventionis to provide a device which is to be used in connection with an automatic triple valve for setting brakes either by applying excess air pres-.

proved valve mechanism, Fig. 2is a section at right angles to Fig. 1 on the line 22 of F ig. 1, and 'Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic View showing the application of the improved valve mechanism to a train controlling means.

. In the following specification I will describe completely the novel valve mechanism and the operation thereof and only so much of the ordinary mechanism which cooperates therewith as will be sufficient for a clear understanding of the use'and operation of myinvention.

In carrying out my invention ,1 provide a valvecasing 1 of suitable shape. In the present instance-I have shown this as a cylinder having a top 2 whichmay be secured to the body portion by means of bolts 3 or in any other suitable manner.

Within the interior-of the valve casing is a valve member 4. This consistsof a weight which is provided at its upper end with a conical-shaped closure member 4 and at the bottom with a similar member 4". The closure member 4 is. arranged Y to enter the opening 5 which is provided with a valve V Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed April 6, 1914. Serial No. 829,862.

seat 6. The lower valve member 4 is arranged to control a port 7 a seat 8 being provided against which the valve may be engaged.

In the body portion 1 below the chamber in which the valve 4 operates is a cylindrical bore 9 in which is disposed a cylindrical piston valve 10. A screw plug 11 is provided for closing the end of the bore and has a projecting portion 11- for limiting the movement of the piston valve toward the plug. At 12 is shown an exhaust port. A port 13 communicates with the interior portion 9 of the bore at one end and with a pipe 14 at the other end. The pipe 14 communicates in turn with a triple valve, as shown in Fig. 3.

The lower end of the valve casing 1 has a threaded opening 15 arranged to receive a pipe 16 leading from the main train pipe. A passage 17 connects the threaded opening 15 with the port 7.

From the foregoing description of the various arts of the device the operation thereo may be readily understood.

Let us assume that excess air pressure is supplied to the main train line at the engine. In Fig. 3 I have shown the pipe 16 as being connected directly to the drain plug of the automatic triple valve. 1 Air passes from the main train line through pipe 16, thence throughthe passage 17 and port 7 where it unseats the weighted valve 4. .This allows the air to pass the valve member 4 and thence by means of the passage 18 into the bore 9, thus forcing the piston valve 10. in

the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1.

This uncovers the passage 18 and covers the exhaust port 12. Theair now flows through the passage 13 andthrough the pipe 14, and is delivered through this pipe to the exhaust of the triple valve and on to the brake cylinder, thereby setting or applying the brakes. It will be understood that one of these improved straight valve mechanisms will be used in connection with the automatic triple valve on each individual car.

.When the brake has been set as above described, the excess air pressure which was applied at the engine and used to set the brake has been reduced to slightly lessthan the automatic'or auxiliary pressure by the excess pressure going into the brake cylinder. This causes the automatic triple valve a so ciently to push the automatic triple piston and valve to release position, thus vopening the exhaust cavity and allowing the air to return from the cylinder through the plpe 14 against the end of the piston valve 10, thus forcing this piston valve to its original position and opening the exhaust :port 12, allowing the air to escape to theatmosphere.

The amount ofexcess pressure added to the train line pressure, as above described, and which isnecessary to setthe brake with my improved straight air valvealso increases the pressure in the automatic air auxiliary reservoir. This excess amount of air discharges as automatic airto the brake cylinderat the time the automatic triple valve ismovingto lap as above described, thereby again reducing therair pressure in automaticair auxiliary reservoir to the train line air pressure, the handle oftheengineers brake valve onthe engine through which the excess air pressure is applied to the train line air pressure, being now in running position; f

It will thus be seen that it depends entirely on the amount of excess air pressure which the engineer adds to the train line air pressure how hard the brakesare set on each car, as he has complete control.,over this by the use of the engineersbrake valve on the engine.

As before mentioned, by the useoofrmy tachment orstraight air valve the brakes canbe applied by both the use of straight airfand automatic air. 'Straightaircan be applied to the brakes andiautomaticairappliedon top or automatic air can be applied to the brakes and straight air can be applied on-top, but bythe use of-iny "valveit isrbes't to use straight air in all cases,.thereby havlug-the ELIItOIIlZtHCrELlI in reserve in caseof Eac'ci'dent, such as the parting of aahoseror 50 a a i a breakmg of a train plpe. Asus clearly seen,

the auxiliary reservoir is kept charged by theus'e of my valve. Thus it actslas a safety device incase 'of accident. N 1

With the present system 10f automatic'air brakes it often happens o'n long gradesth at the automatic air pressure contained in the auxiliary reservoir is not 'sufficientto hold the train, whereas by the use of my valve the engineer can apply the brakes by the use of the excess pressure suiiicient to hold the train and at the same tiniehave-the auto- ,matic air inreserveto set the brakes in case of accident as mentioned above. Also" by the use of my valve using. the straight air,

at the engine is distributed equally through my valve to the brake cylinders, one of which is located on each individual car. This. prevents, to a large extent, the parting or breaking in two of the train, as is now veryoften the case with the present system of automatic air.

Since the weighted valve 4 in my valve mechanism seats itselfwhen the excess or overcharge pressure in the train line has been reduced to normal through the action of engineers valve, thenthe pressure retained in the brake cylinder takes effect and forces the piston valve 10 up tothe projecting portion of plug 11 thus opening the exhaust port 12 and releasingthebrakes.

' As has been explained above in order to setthe brakes with my attachment'the engineer applies excess air pressuretothe train line vpressure. In order to set the brakes withautomatic air as now 'used hereduces a casingprovided with a main valve cham-' her, a weighted valvedisposed in saidchamher, a pipe for connectingone endofsaid valve casing-with a supply of'comprssed air, a passage-withinsaid valve casing nor mally closed by said weighted .v alveand Y adapted to beuncovered by excess of air pressure 1n1thepas'sag'e; an;o1itlet;pipe, and

means. for establishing communication .be- 7 tween said main valve chamber and s'aidgoutletpipe, said means being-controlled bythe pressure of air in saidvmain valve chamber;

2. In a valvemechanism foriair'brakes, a caslng provided w thv a main valve chamber, a welghted valve disposed in said chamber, a pipe forriconnectin'gone end of said valve casing with a supply ofcompre'ssed.

air,a passage within said valve casing normally closed by said weighted valve' a'nd adapted to be uncoveredbyexcess of air pressure inthe passage,- an outlet pipe,--a1 1d means for establishing 'c ommunicati-onbe- :tween said-main valve chamber and said outlet pipe, said means comprising a-pis'ton valve disposed Within a bore in 1 said valve casmg, a passage connect ng-said main valve ranged to be uncovered by the rnovement of said piston valve for connecting "said bore with saidoutletpipe; y 3. In a valye mechanism for air br'akes, a casingprovi-ded with a main valve chamher, a weightedfvalve disp'osedin said charm 'casing with said bore, and a pa'ssage 'ar- 5126 her, a pipe for c'o'nnec'tiong one endof said a valve casing with-{a supply {of compressed 1 V V n J 4 air, a passage-wlth n'said valve casing northe "excess overcharge air ressure apphedmally closed bys'aid weighte'd valve and adapted to be uncovered by excess of air pressure in the passage, an outlet pipe,means for establishing communication between said main valve chamber and said outlet pipe, said means comprising a pistion valve disposed within a bore in said valve casing, a passage connecting said main valve casing with said bore, a passage arranged to be uncovered by the movement of said piston valve for connecting said bore with said outlet pipe, and an exhaust passage normally uncovered and adapted to be covered when the piston valve uncovers the passage between the interior of the bore and the outlet pipe.

4. In a valve mechanism for air brakes, a casing provided with a main valve chamber, a weighted valve disposed in said chamber, a pipe for connecting one end of said valve casing with a supply of compressed air, a passage within said valve casing normally closed by said weighted valve and adapted to be uncovered by excess of air pressure in the passage, an outlet pipe, means for establishing communication between said main valve chamber and said outlet pipe, said means comprising a piston valve disposed within a bore in said valve casing, a passage connecting said main valve casing with said bore, a passage arranged to be uncovered by the movement of said piston valve for connecting said bore with said outlet pipe, and an exhaust passage normally uncovered and adapted to be covered when the piston valve uncovers the passage between the interior of the bore and the outlet pipe, said exhaust passage being covered by the reverse movement of said piston valve.

5. In a valve mechanism for air brakes, a casing provided with a main valve chamber, a weighted valve disposed in said chamber, a pipe for connecting one end of said valve casing with a supply of compressed air, a passage within said valve casing normally closed by said weighted valve and adapted to be uncovered by excess of air pressure in the passage, an outlet pipe, means for establishing communication between said main valve chamber and said outlet pipe, said means comprising a piston valve disposed within a bore in said valve casing, a passage connecting said main valve casing with said bore, a passage arranged to be uncovered by the movement of said piston valve for connecting said bore with said outlet pipe, an exhaust passage normally uncovered and adapted to be covered when the piston valve uncovers the passage between the interior of the bore and the outlet pipe, said exhaust passage being covered by the reverse movement of said piston valve, and a screw plug at one end of said bore for limiting the movement of said piston valve.

JAMES GRANT BUCHANAN.

Witnesses:

HIRAM A. HATFIELD, ELBERT H. CUMMING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

